


Felix Culpa

by fruitbat



Series: WIP [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Hogwarts House Sorting, Alternate Universe - Orphanage, BAMF Women, Dumbledore is an assbutt, Gen, Good Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter is Sirius Black's Child, Harry Potter is the Heir to the House of Black, Informal guardianship, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Orphanage, Wandless Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-22 12:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17059877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruitbat/pseuds/fruitbat
Summary: What if Lily Evans was married to Sirius Black and it was assumed that he betrayed his own wife to Voldemort? Orphanage AU.





	1. Chapter 1

If Petunia screamed when she saw what awaited her on the doorstep that fateful November morning, it was nothing compared to the piercing shriek that filled the house the evening after.

She dropped the unwanted child carelessly on the sofa and quickly dashed to phone Vernon at work.

“Pet, is something wrong?”

“I've changed my mind, Vernon, we have to take him to an orphanage,” she said, wide eyes fixated on the news report on the television. Shaky recording shows a tatooed man with shaggy dark hair laughing insanely as the Police (aurors in disguise, no doubt) drag him away. The bottom of the screen reads 'Suspect arrested after explosion kills 2 friends and 13 bystanders one day after his wife was killed'.

After deciding what they would do, Petunia hung up the phone with a shaking hand.

Sirius Black. Petunia never liked him. She had been on bad terms with Lily and hadn't even spoken to her since she was fifteen (Lily was twelve), but even a stranger could tell that Lily deserved better than that immature, moronic, prejudiced bastard.

And now her sister's hellspawn was ruining Petunia's perfectly ordered life. Goodness knows what would become of them if they dare keep it. It's father murdered 15 people, including those two friends of theirs. He probably killed Lily, too. His son could turn out just as mad and dangerous as it's father. No, Petunia wouldn't stand for it, no matter what Dumbledore had to say about it.

 

Arabella Figg could hardly believe what she was hearing. It had taken four days to determine that Harry wasn't here at all and the vile woman so easily admitted putting him at an orphanage as though it was an act of mercy. Arabella tuned out the actual excuses as soon as she noticed that the other women had immediately sympathized with Mrs. Dursley. It was so completely apalling, she was glad she was a squib or else she would've hexed the lot of them. Unfortunately, she had to conceal her feelings half an hour before she was able to excuse herself from the ladies' tea.

She barged into her home and threw half a handul of floo powder in the hearth. “Hogwarts Headmaster's Office,” she spoke sharply, kneeling and putting her face in the fire without bothering to grab her floor pillow at all.

Dumbledore looked up from his desk as soon as she came into view. “Arabella,” he smiled kindly-

“What in the name of Merlin were you thinking when you left the boy with those awful people?” She didn't shout, although she had meant to shout at him. She ground her teeth and opened her mouth to try again, only to be interrupted.

“It is truly the only place that would have him, not to mention hide him from Voldemort's supporters. It may not be a pleasant life for him, but it will keep him alive. If you aren't capable of doing as I asked, I suppose I can find someone else,” Dumbledore mused.

Arabella looked at him, flabbergasted. Yes, she could see how many potential guardians might not want the reminder of Sirius Black to raise, but that boy was also Lily's boy. She couldn't imagine that one of their numerous friends wouldn't leap at the opportunity to raise him. “Remus Lupin-”

“-Is a werewolf and legally unable to obtain guardianship or shared custody.”

“You need to send someone here. The Dursley's have-”

“I have wards that monitor Harry's health at all times and I have you to keep an even closer eye on him for me. There is not much they can do to a magical child and I made sure I explained why their taking care of Harry is for the best in the letter I left with him.”

She didn't know how to respond to that. 'The letter I left with him.' A letter. Suddenly, Mrs. Dursley's dramatics made a little more sense, however abhorrent her reaction had been. Though surely she could've tried to contact someone in the magical world before she dumped him in an orphanage. The Greengrass, Bones, Turpin, even the Tonks or Weasley families would've taken him in. Then again, maybe she thought it wouldn't have made any difference if she knew Dumbledore was responsible for Harry coming to her.

She opened her mouth and said “I suppose you're right.” She never was going to be able to argue with this man, was she? His aura was too intimidating, let alone his persona. She allowed the conversation to steer to trivialities until the headmaster made his excuses.

“What am I to do about this mess?” She asked her cats and kneazles. No response.

She contacted Remus Lupin the next day. Then the Bones, Greengrass, Turpin, Tonks, Weasley and a few other families. Everyone responded politely enough, but not a single reply answered her concerns about Harry. She suspected that any mention of the baby had been wiped from her own letters by some sort of ward as soon as she'd sent them.

Arabella wondered what Dumbledore would do if she attempted to reach out to them in person.

 

The children's orphanage was a dull townhouse in London. She wondered if Petunia had spitefully chosen it because of its proximity to The Leaky Cauldron a scant few blocks away. The building was just as miserly on the inside, but Arabella was somewhat relieved to see that the children seemed happy enough even if they were noticeably quiet and mature despite their young faces. As she moved under an invisibility cloak through various rooms, she saw that all of the children were well-fed and didn't have any marks on them like she had feared. The staff there seemed to be mostly made up of good-natured volunteers, with a few full-time employees including a stern head matron.

Arabella hated to think it, but perhaps this was better for Harry after all. She couldn't help but think that it would be better than the Dursleys. Still, to leave a magical child in a muggle orphanage..it was unthinkable. Arabella was certain any wizard would agree with her on that.

Unfortunately, she had no idea how to get Harry out without Dumbledore finding out about it.

Arabella's hands shook slightly as she added soft baby hair and a small piece of paper with a handwritten address to the potion. After it changed to a misty nearly transparent liquid she divided it between three tea cups. Even squinting she couldn't discern anything in the bottom of the cups. Satisfied, she carried the tea tray in to the room, “Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley..”

 

Hogwarts, June 30 1991

Albus tried not to show any surprise or nervousness when Minerva McGonagall stormed into his office. To his relief, she didn't shout or hex him. She threw a letter on his desk with a poisonous glare and crossed her arms, face stony. He picked it up cautiously.

_Harry Black_

_Unspecified Orphanage, England_

_Location obscured_

Alarmed, Albus floo'ed Arabella Figg.

“Arabella.”

“Yes?”

“Where is Harry Black?” he kept his voice calm despite his frustration.

A strange look passed over Arabella's face. “I don't know,” she said. “Don't you know?”

Albus barely contained his reaction. He could faintly hear Minerva behind him, unable to contain her own explosive and expletive reaction. “How have you been sending reports?”

Arabella blinked. “Oh! I don't know where he is, exactly, but I know where he was supposed to be and roughly what that would've been like for him so I fabricated everything. I do know that wherever he really is, he is in far better condition and disposition than he would've been with those Dursleys.”

Better condition in an orphanage, _Merlin_. Minerva was going to murder him.

 

Orphanage, London, July 1 1989

Harry turned the letter over and over. He wasn't sure if he should open it. It was a very suspicious letter, from the way it was delivered (via _cat_ at midnight, this morning, his ninth birthday) to way it was addressed.

 _The orphanage four blocks from the Leaky Cauldron_ was written just below his name and above the actual address. There was something really weird about that, too. He knew the orphanage's address and even recognized it on the envelope, but when he looked directly at it he couldn't actually read it or even remember it even though he knew it. It was bizarre and Harry wasn't sure if bizarre was good or bad.

After pondering everything he'd observed about the envelope and its strange delivery, Harry hesitantly opened the letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_My name is Arabella Figg and I was a friend of your parents. There are some things you should know. It saddens me to burden you with the weight of all that I am about to tell you and I hope you can forgive me for only sending this letter now. Or forgive that I sent it at all._

_Your mother was Lily Black nee Evans. She was the most clever, fierce, and genuinely kind woman I have ever had the honor of knowing. She had a sister three years older called Petunia and your grandparents were named James and Sarah Evans. Your grandfather was an electrician and your grandmother was a seamstress. Your mother grew up in Spinner's End, poor but happy. When she turned five strange and inexplicable things began to happen around her. Eventually, she discovered that she was a witch and she could do magic._

_Yes, magic is real, Harry. I know you must have done some accidental magic yourself._

_Magical children receive an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on their eleventh birthday, as will you on yours._

_Your mother accepted and was sorted into Slytherin (one of four dormitories: Slytherin for the cunning, Ravenclaw for the studious, Hufflepuff for the hard-working, and Gryffindor for the brave) with her dear friend and neighbour Severus Snape, despite the fact that her house was represented by many bigots who looked down on her poor status and muggle (non-magical) origin. She was the constant target for pranks and bullying, at first, but she quickly gained many friends in all the houses due to the cleverness, strong will, and charm that would've made her suited to any House. Although, unfortunately, her friendship with Severus fell apart due to his extreme anti-social behavior and jealousy over her other friends. Similarly, her relationship with her sister deteriorated to the point that they never spoke. Her best friends in school became Darcy Greengrass (Slytherin), Tabitha Turpin (Hufflepuff), and Remus Lupin (Gryffindor). Remus had three other friends that became quite close to Lily as well: Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, and Sirius Black (all Gryffindor)._

_Sirius Black was the first person your mother and Severus Snape met and they got off on the wrong foot due to a joke at Severus' expense. Your mother always stood up for her friends. She could be quite vicious, actually. Sirius did not become Lily's friend until their third year when he ended up in the hospital alongside Snape after catching a group of older Gryffindors hexing him and taking Snape's side in the fray. Although it took three more years still before she dated him. He was quite the stereotypical bad boy, but Lily seemed to be the only one capable of reigning him in. All of us thought that he was completely over the moon about her and the best father to you that there could ever be._

_Unfortunately, the rest of the story is less than pleasant. Your father came from an ancient, wealthy, and powerful so-called 'pure-blood' family. They thought themselves superior because they were only of magical origin and did not mix with anyone with less than six generations magical background (considered the opposite of your 'muggleborn' mother, first generation magical). Not only was his family blood purist, but they were deeply entrenched in the Dark Arts from which they took their name and each generation of Black family history was rife with betrayal, scandal, prejudice, and murder. Your father was considered the black sheep of that family, or white sheep as his friends joked. His sorting into Gryffindor after sixteen generations of Blacks had been Slytherins was quite the scandal, even before his friendships with 'blood traitors' and muggleborns became common knowledge. As your father was wooing your mother, a war over issues of blood status was at its height._

_A terrorist calling himself Voldemort was the instigator. He was perhaps the most powerful wizard except Dumbledore. He swayed many to his cause despite his madness. They murdered muggles, muggleborns, and blood-traitors._

_Your father's parents, Walburga and Orion Black, did not join Voldemort directly. Instead, they supported him financially and pledged your father and his younger brother Regulus to the Dark Lord's service. Your father left home at the age of 16 and lived with the Potters until he married your mother._

_I do not know when he turned to the Dark. I can still hardly believe it. I'm sorry to say that we never suspected him, even when we thought there was a spy amongst us. We were all part of The Order of the Phoenix, a vigilante group led by Albus Dumbledore, necessary due to the corrupted Ministry of Magic and overburdened Magical Law Enforcement. Many aurors (similar to the police, but trained up like the military) the McKinnons, Prewetts, Moody, Bones, Longbottom, Pettigrew, Potter, and your father were heavily involved in the Order and we succeeded in preventing a complete takeover by Lord Voldemort. However, it was very clear that he would take over in a small matter of time._

_Shortly before your birth, your parents suddenly went into hiding. Your father still did his job and fought, but no one saw your mother unless they were invited to their secret location. The Order was told that Voldemort was targeting you, although we were not told why. Your mother cast a special type of spell called a Fidelus Charm and made any knowledge of their whereabouts a Secret, held by the Secret Keeper. Only if the secret keeper told someone the location would anyone be able to find or see the place. We originally believed the Secret Keeper was your father's best friend and your godfather James Potter, but that proved to be untrue after he was captured and tortured for the information. Thankfully, we were able to rescue him due to the efforts of Severus Snape who had become a 'Death Eater', a follower of Voldemort, only to turn spy for our side. Sirius confessed to the Order that he had been the Secret Keeper all along, but they had let everyone think it was James so that Sirius could safely come and go without risk of capture. After this reveal, Sirius quit the aurors and Order to seclude himself with your mother and you._

_On Halloween of 1981, Voldemort's followers attacked the McKinnons. The Order, including your father, responded and tried to save them. Their families were saved, but ultimately the auror couple died in the battle. After the battle, the Order realized that the Secret was no longer kept. We all suddenly recalled that you lived at Rosenvale Cottage in Godric's Hollow. Sirius could not be found._

_Your mother had been killed by Voldemort and the Dark Lord himself was destroyed, presumed dead, when his curse rebounded off of you.The papers proclaimed you the 'Boy-Who-Lived' because you had survived the fatal Killing Curse with only a scar on your forehead. You were taken to your Aunt Petunia's home, on Dumbledore's orders, and left at her doorstep with a letter._

_Your father was found by James Potter and Peter Pettigrew. Unfortunately, he used a dreadful Dark curse causing an explosion that killed both aurors and thirteen muggles. He was arrested and sentenced to life in Azkaban, the wizarding prison._

_Your Aunt had been estranged from your mother since their teens and should never have been your guardian. Nor had she been given a choice. Apparently, Dumbledore had somehow arranged the custody even before your godfather died and left you on the Dursleys' doorstep (literally, I'm afraid) with a pithy letter._

_I discovered that your loathsome aunt and her husband had taken you to an orphanage, but realized I could not tell anyone due to some magic of Dumbledore's. The only thing I could do was to protect you from Death Eaters, reporters, and the very man who left you with people who might've abused you if you were returned to them. I have used to a potion to conceal, similar to the Fidelus, your location and prevent anyone from learning or remembering it whom you do not tell yourself. Additionally, you may find that most wizards won't notice you where they don't expect you to be unless you draw attention to yourself._

_I have included directions to the Leaky Cauldron which guards the entrance to the wizard shopping centre Diagon Alley and my home address. I suggest you make your way to Gringrotts (the wizard bank) and begin to educate yourself to guard yourself from those who may wish to harm you. You may write to me if you have any questions. Lancelot (the half-kneazle half-cat that delivered this letter) has been keeping watch over you all these years and will deliver any letters addressed to me._

_I wish you the best of luck._

_Sincerely,_

_Arabella Figg_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry wants to go to Diagon Alley, but how will he convince the Head Matron?

Christine Byrne adored children. She had been devastated when she found that she could never have children of her own. They had just decided to adopt when her husband suddenly died. That's when she quit teaching and became the Matron of an orphanage.

She was quite proud of how far the place had come under her care. The orphanage even had a private patron who purchased the building before she was hired. She used quite a bit of their funds, at first, hiring counselors for the children and expanding the game room, but now she hosted very successful fundraisers. She tried not to get too upset that society was willing to throw money at them, but no one wanted to adopt. 

"Missus Christine?" 

Christine suppressed a smile. "Mr. Black, is there something I can help you with?" She noticed the lad clutched a letter.

"Yesterday, when Timothy's hair turned green?"

"Yes?"

"I did it."

"How did you do it? I understand that it happened in the middle of the dining hall and you always sit in the corner by yourself." Christine had tried to change that. She'd pressed all of her counselors to find out why the other children avoided him. She'd told his homeroom teacher to pair the students up, hoping to encourage friendship, but nothing worked. Her only consolation was that Harry didn't seem to mind.

"He was bothering Quentin over being adopted, everyone could hear him, and I knew he didn't care about lines or chores. I just wished something awful would happen to him. Then his hair turned green."

"Because you wished for it?"

"Yes."

Christine sighed. Perhaps being alone had affected Harry more than they thought? She reached for the phone on her desk. Harry was frowning, almost angrily. "Mr. Black-EEEEEK!"

She threw herself out of her chair and stared at the phone. That was floating. _In mid-air._ She nodded to no one in particular. Yes, this was really happening. Okay, get over it. She sat back down and clasped her hands in front of her. "Very well, Mr. Black. What can I help you with?"

 

Harry felt bad about scaring Missus Christine. He let the phone down softly on the desk and tried not to show how much that bit of magic exhausted him. 

"I received this letter explaining everything." He handed it to the Head Matron.

He waited in silence as she read it. When she started to read it a second time, he got a bit impatient. "I've always been able to do weird things. I can talk to snakes. It creeps the other children out. Nobody messes with me or anything," he rushes to reassure her as he sees the look on her face, "they just aren't friendly with me. I don't mind. I prefer reading, anyway. But now I understand. I'm a _wizard. I can do magic."_

'Oh dear,' Christine thought, 'he looks completely mad when he says that.' Grinning from ear to ear, iridescent green eyes shining brightly, his messy black locks sway in a non-existant breeze. 'Magic is going to be a handful,' she thinks.

 

Arabella suppressed a smirk. Oh, if she'd been able to attend Hogwarts, she would've been in Slytherin! 

She'd just returned home from the annual Order of the Phoenix meeting hosted by Dumbledore every summer. The continued meetings were supposed to be about staying vigilant- after all, there was no evidence that the dark lord was truly dead and many of his followers had pleaded the Imperius and bargained pardons from a weakened Ministry- but truthfully, they all sat around and gossiped about inane trivialities.

Everyone, Dumbledore in particular, had wanted to hear about Harry. Arabella had woven quite the report, satisfying them all that Harry was well and happy without tipping off the Headmaster that he was no where near the Dursleys.

She wished she could see his face in a few years' time when he learned the truth. She'd have to settle for viewing it in a pensieve, if she could persuade Minerva to lend her the memory. It was a good thing she knew Minerva's favorite scotch whisky.

As soon as she had sat in her favorite armchair, Lancelot jumped onto her lap. He sauntered off as soon as the envelope pinned to his collar was removed. Muggle stationary, she noticed as she began to read.

_Miss Arabella Figg,_

_Mister Harry Black and myself have numerous questions and concerns regarding the magical society you informed him of. We are inviting ourselves to your home in order to discuss the matter. We will be there promptly at five o'clock in the evening. If this is inconvenient to you, please write back with a time that fits your schedule._

_Cordially,_

_Missus Christine Byrne_

_Head Matron, Obscurus Orphanage_

'Goodness', Arabella thought. 'He actually told a muggle and she hasn't commited him.' She would have to explain the Statue of Secrecy to them, but if they were caught technically Missus Byrne was his guardian and therefore needed to be informed of the magical world.

She glanced at the clock which read just a minute to five o'clock. Sighing, she got up to put on the kettle.

She opened the door at exactly five o'clock to see a woman roughly in her thirties, the same Head Matron she'd noticed eight years ago and a young boy.

This was the first time she'd laid eyes on Harry since he was a baby. She'd been expecting him to look like his father with his mother's eyes, but he looked like so much more than that. Objectively, yes, he had his father's complexion and wild locks and his mother's eyes, but then he also had Lily's nose and Sirius's mouth. His cheekbones and chin, unlike Sirius's rugged looks, were more chiseled. His hair was black, not red or brunette. The overall effect was that the boy looked very sharp and serious. No one would recognize him if they didn't see his scar, which just barely peaked out from under tousled bangs.

He looked like a proper Black, the last thing anyone would expect really.

"Missus Byrne, Mister Black, please do come in."

 

Harry tried not to fidget as Missus Christine and Miss Figg exchanged customary greetings and small talk. Finally, when tea had been served, Miss Figg asked them what questions they had.

Harry sat up a bit straighter. Missus Christine had explained that she wanted Harry to do most of the talking. She thought Miss Figg would answer his questions fully, after the letter she had sent, but to be sure that Miss Figg was honest she wanted to observe how she spoke to him and her body language. Which she couldn't observe as well if she was the one asking the questions. She needed Miss Figg's focus to be all on Harry.

"According to your letter, both of my parents were wizards so why wasn't I raised by a wizard?"

"I have asked Dumbledore that question many times. According to him, your mother protected you from Voldemort by sacrificing herself and that protection lives on in your blood. Dumbledore was able to raise powerful wards around the Dursley residence using a few drops of your blood and your Aunt's proximity. No wizard with bad intentions or Voldemort's mark on their arm could come near the place. Even though you only stayed there one night, the wards are still active. Blood wards are very powerful and very mysterious. Living there might've had some affect on you, perhaps increasing your mother's residual protection. 

However, I don't believe that excuses leaving you with two wholly unsuitable guardians.

Another reason Dumbledore has given me is that no one would have you because of your father. Hogwash! If that was so, why then, did all of my missives to your mother's friends get bespelled to erase any mention of you and my request that someone take up your guardianship?"

Harry frowned. "So you don't know his real motives?"

Miss Figg sighed, "No one understands how that barmy old goat's mind works until things line up exactly so and you wonder if that's how he meant it to be all along or if he's just bluffing. He's a manipulative, infuriating old man but he is also the most powerful, respected wizard in Europe. I don't believe he has any idea the Dursleys took you to an orphanage, but no doubt he'll still try to work every angle to his advantage when the time comes."

"You said he led a resistance group in the war, but you speak of him presently as if he's more important than that. Who is Albus Dumbledore?"

Miss Figg looked almost surprised by the question, but quickly recovered. "To start with, Albus Dumbledore is the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It's an extremely powerful and respected position on its own, but then there is the fact that Albus Dumbledore famously defeated Gellert Grindlewald, a Dark Lord arguably worse than Voldemort whose closest comparison would be to the muggle Adolf Hitler. There are few wizards that do not respect, if not outright idolize, Albus Dumbledore. He also holds an important position within the Wizengamot, a legislative body similiar to Parliament, and a position in the International Confederation of Wizards which is akin to the United Nations. A lot of people wanted him as Minister for Magic, but he turned the position down."

"You mentioned a Ministry of Magic. Does that mean that wizards don't answer to the British Government?" Harry knew this one was a bit of a loaded question. The letter had mentioned a war and the murder of 'muggles', non-magical citizens, what kind of system was in place to prevent that kind of thing? Was the magical world a danger to people like Missus Christine?

"Technically, the Ministry of Magic is an Independent Constituent of the British Government. Our Minister of Magic directly reports to the British Prime Minister. The British goverment allows wizards to handle wizarding matters, although they reserve the right to intervene in matters of self-interest, and wizards must not intervene in muggle matters. We have a treatise to that effect. We have our own laws and justice system of course. The first law passed, predating our modern government, was the Statue of Secrecy which forbids any wizard from telling any muggle about magic," Miss Figg paused to look at Christine, "with reasonable exceptions of course such as family, spouses, and guardians. Technically, as Mister Black's guardian you have every right to be informed, not that we'll be asking any permission. It's probably best that we keep the Minister out of Mister Black's business for however long we can."

"Now what was I saying?" Miss Figg frowned. "Oh, yes. After the last war, the muggle Prime Minister demanded reparations from the Ministry of Magic as well as protection for non-magicals. Now we have a Muggle Relations office which is a small attaché to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and a Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. They're not exactly well-respected, but they protect muggles from crooks and dark wizards and help to write laws to set the standard for punishing such attacks or nuisances."

Harry nodded, not fully satisfied by the answer, but swiftly asking the next question. "Is Hogwarts the only magical school?"

"No, although it is widely regarded to be the oldest, founded just over a thousand years ago. There are eleven main magical schools, all with at least a population of five hundred students. Hogwarts used to have the largest numbers, but after two wars, it's down to a thousand students. There's Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France and the Durmstrang Institute, also in Europe. It's exact location is a closely guarded secret and many consider Durmstrang a school of the Dark Arts, primarily because it's the school Grindlewald attended and was expelled from. There is Mahoutokoro in Japan, which is an isolated but extremely reputable school. There is reportedly a school in China which may be as old as Hogwarts but no one remembers its name or hears from the students who must attend it. Castelobruxo in Brazil and Koldovstoretz in Russia do not accept international students. Uagadou in Uganda will accept transfers but only those who specialize in Potions, Healing, or Curse-Breaking. There is an exclusive year-round boarding school in Italy called Apollo Lyceum scuola di Magia, but you must pass at least one O.W.L. (an exam normally taken at the end of a student's fifth year) before age eleven to gain admittance. There is also Ilvermorny in America, which was co-founded by a muggle. They may not have a prestigious reputation, but they have the most well-balanced curiculum and produce some of the greatest Duelists in the world. They currently have the most students, about two-thousand five-hundred. The last major school of magic is a summer school in San Francisco which has the smallest numbers, but is just as excellent as Ilvermorny and mostly consistents of an extremely diversive, elective curiculum.

Typically, witches and wizards attend a school of their parents' choosing and tradition plays a part in their decision. However, your name wasn't put on the Hogwart's registry when you were born, which is unusual for a British child. Dumbledore added it later, of course, but I wonder if perhaps your parents did not automatically wish you to attend Hogwarts. Just the possibility gives you the choice of applying to another school if you wish, no matter what Dumbledore thinks."

"Is there a reason you think I shouldn't go to Hogwarts?" This question wasn't on the list, but it was close enough to 'is Hogwarts safe' and Harry had the perfect opening to ask it, too. He figured he could address the bullying issue later.

"I don't know if I would say that. Everyone certainly expects you to attend Hogwarts. Not going could cause some political upset which might raise questions about your upbringing and bring unwanted attention to you. However, the fact that your parents did not sign you up for Hogwarts is worth considering. There is some information your parents had that we do not possess. Possibly, there are ramifications to attending Hogwarts that may have to do with Voldemort."

"What does Voldemort have to do with me if he is dead?" Oh, they had _so many questions_ about Voldemort. 

 

Christine was careful to keep her expression polite and attentive while Harry interrogated Miss Figg. She had slightly fudged the truth when she convinced the boy to do all the talking. She had figured Miss Figg would be more open with him since she had sent that letter to him and had at least some attachment to him through his parents, true. She also wanted to know if everything Miss Figg had said was completely honest and she was somewhat adept at reading deceit in people's body language, true. However, the main reason she didn't want to do the talking herself, a motive she didn't share with Harry, is that she was still reeling from the shock of even the mere possibility that magic actually exists. 

She could barely admit to herself that it was more than a possibility. Harry may be a clever boy, but he didn't have a malicious bone in his body and was a terrible liar. His entire body language since he burst into her office at eight o'clock in the morning had radiated excitement, determination, and wonder. When he walked in, she instantly knew that he wanted something. It just took him some time and demonstrating to get around to asking. 

However, she wasn't about to let him waltz into this Diagon Alley, unprepared, just because he was excited. First, she would observe Miss Figg and get more information on this secret society. Then, after she calmed down about the whole magic thing, they could discuss going to Diagon Alley.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has some doubts that wizards are all that great

The biggest shock, Harry mused, was finding out that he was _famous_ in the Wizaring World. Or infamous, depending on who you asked. Apparently, Harry was right up there with Dumbledore in some people's estimation for defeating a Dark Lord as a baby. Harry had some serious doubts about the intelligence of the wizarding populace if they really thought a baby had done any such thing. At least Miss Figg, Dumbledore, and however many wizards they had in their group believed that his mother had done the actual deed, somehow casting an unknown protective magic over Harry when she died. 

A magic so strong it still lived in his skin and apparently fueled wards at his former guardians' residence. Miss Figg had remarked that it was a lucky thing that the wards kept up as they had, concealing the fact that Harry was not there.

Harry had been tempted to visit the Dursleys. Every orphan agonized over their situation and the possibility that they were totally unwanted. Knowing it for a fact, though, was almost as bad as learning how his father betrayed his mother and got her killed. Ultimately, Harry didn't ask about his relatives too much, mostly sticking to Missus Christine's script.

It had been a whole lot easier to talk about Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Voldemort than it had been to talk about his father. Harry never wanted to think about him again.

Unfortunately, Miss Figg said that being a Black was a big deal and came with a lot of responsibilities. People may not expect it of him; for one thing, his father had technically been disowned by his parents and his mother was a muggleborn, but Harry was still the heir to the Black family. He would one day inherit the Headship and Lordship over the Black family, which came with a lot of money, properties, a place in the Wizengamot and a lot of clout in wizarding society, and a magical inheritance which Miss Figg assured him was nothing to scoff at.

All witches and wizards, even muggleborns, receive a magical inheritance or an increase in their inherent powers and the awakening of any extraordinary abilities when they turn seventeen years of age. However, most Lords and Heads of their Houses perform rituals, highly secretive rituals that are virtually unknown outside of the pureblood families, which passes selective memories and a small portion of their own power on to the next heir at the time of their magical inheritance. It was rumoured that the Blacks were the only family that had made this ritual even more powerful, allowing the heir to collect power and memories from every Lord Black before them. 

If this rumour were true, as a eighteenth generation Black, Harry may receive enough magic from his magical inheritance to be two or three times more powerful than he already was and enough knowledge to be a Master of the Dark Arts.

Miss Figg had cautioned him to prepare himself for that because it might've been one reason his father had switched sides after all. 'It usually takes a few weeks or so to adjust to a magical inheritance, but one as large as that?' Miss Figg shook her head. 'It wouldn't surprise me if your father had still been adjusting and it drove him mad.'

Harry had a long list of books recommended by Miss Figg. It was the main thing he had used to convince Missus Christine to bring him to Diagon Alley, where they had gone straight to Gringrotts. The Blacks apparently didn't use keys. If he wasn't who he said he was, touching the door to his vault would've killed him. With gold in his pocket, they went to Flourish and Blotts. Missus Christine had said they could explore Diagon Alley one trip at a time. For now, they had a list of books and that was their reason for being there.

He stared in dismay at a children's or young adult's book series by Beth Hildesheim (a pseudonym), depicting a caricature that looked nothing like himself, that proclaimed 'The Boy-Who-Lived and Many Misadventures'. On further inspection, it was a sleuth series but one of the redundant mysteries was whether Harry Black was a desperate hero or a conniving Dark wizard.

From the looks of it, that was the best writing Flourish and Blotts' fiction section had to offer. The rest were all terrible quidditch fantasy novels, comics and books containing less than subtle prejudice against muggles or 'half-bloods', and magical alphabet books for toddlers. Finally grabbing a book that looked different called 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard', Harry went to find Missus Christine.

The Head Matron was reading a book called 'Muggles Who Notice.' Two other books, 'Moronic Muggles' and 'When Muggles Attack', were clutched in her other hand.

"Are you actually going to buy those?" Harry asked with a grimace.

"Of course not, although at least this one isn't totally offensive," Christine answered as she put them back. "Have you found every book on Miss Figg's list?"

Miss Figg had recommended a few first year Hogwarts texts: Miranda Goshawk's 'Standard Book of Spells Grade 1', 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection' by Quentin Trimble, and 'A History of Magic' by Bathilda Bagshot who, Harry thought, was likely the author of the Boy-Who-Lived series he'd seen earlier. He wondered what their problem was. He was just a kid. He put 'A History of Magic' back on the shelf and grabbed a dusty copy of 'A Magical History of Europe: Volume 1' instead. Close enough.

'Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century', 'Notable Magical Names of Our Time', 'Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy' and 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts' were additional history texts Miss Figg insisted on.

There were education-related books on the list such as 'Hogwarts, A History', 'An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe', and 'Magical Studies', a book which featured a compiled list of every magical school in the world, large and small, and listed their subjects. It also included an explanation of each subject and variant taught in the wizarding world.

'Magical Moral Perspective', 'Defensive Magical Theory' by Wilbert Slinkhard, 'Living With Legilimens: Choose Your Minds Wisely', and 'Protection Charm Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Counter Legilimensy' were all supposed to prepare him to guard himself in the wizarding world, physically and mentally.

Harry was tempted to buy every book about self-defense, jinxes, and curses in the shop. But even if he bought them all now, he couldn't possibly read them all at once. He was certain Miss Figg would prescribe reading and studying the books on the list thoroughly before moving on to more advanced ones.

"Yes," he answered, "I've been sending them to the front counter. I wanted to buy a fiction book as well, but this was the only decent one," Harry held up the book for inspection.

 

Christine sighed. No wonder the magical world was so insular in their thinking. There were not any forward-thinking books, let alone evidence of cultural diversity. They barely had more than two dozen books with a copy-right date more recent than the nineteen-fifties and she hadn't found any imported books at all. She would bet a year's salary that every author in the store was either a 'pureblood' by name or a carefully chosen nom de plume. After two wars and two Dark Lords, Christine supposed it wasn't as surprising as it should be.

"Very well. Let's be on our way," she said.

Christine frowned to herself. Harry's excitement had dimmed since they came to Diagon Alley. He had been so excited to learn that he could do magic, but now he carried his books with seriousness not anticipation. 

Of course, he did have a dark lord and others who would want him dead for something completely out of his control and his father was imprisoned for murder, including the betrayal that led to the death of Harry's mother. 

Christine wanted to slap Miss Figg for telling him all that. It would make no difference, she knew. Harry would have found out when he turned eleven and at least now they had time before then to help him. She hopes he doesn't choose to go to Hogwarts. She can't help but think he would be safer the further from England he got even though Miss Figg had said it didn't work that way. Wizards had different, instantaneous methods of travel. Though they could hide Harry's location with magic, they could not hide him at school. Apparently, wizards didn't homeschool. Still, she didn't much like the sound of Albus Dumbledore.

 

Albus treated himself with another lemon drop. This had been a very productive week. He'd blocked a law proposed by Lucius Malfoy, convinced the Minister to take a second look at the ex-Death Eaters (Malfoy looked clean but Albus was certain the others had not been as circumspect), he'd gotton Hogwarts' new budget approved with little fuss, and Arabella's report yesterday had been very good indeed. Albus had been certain Minerva had read too much into things, perhaps allowing her personal feelings to affect her opinion of the Dursleys. It was nice to be proven right.

He couldn't wait for the next two years to pass, for Harry to finally receive his Hogwarts letter and rejoin the wizarding world.

He'd need a proper introduction to magic, of course. Minerva usually took the muggleborns to Diagon Alley, but Harry needed a different touch. Minerva was too fair and neutral. She'd answer every question and then some. He needed Harry to be just a bit naive, just enough that the lad ended up in Gryffindor where he belonged. Best send Hagrid to do the job.

Yes, everything is going according to plan. He leaned back at his desk and closed his eyes, Occluding, as he carefully mapped out Harry's first year at Hogwarts. He must not leave anything to chance. Diagon Alley, Platform 9 ¾, the train, the sorting hat, all of it had to be handled with care. 

Harry Black would come to Hogwarts and he would be in Gryffindor, Dumbledore guaranteed it.

 

"Gryffindor is the _worst_ ," Harry snorted in disgust. 

"Why do you say that?" Christine asked as she sat down at her desk. 

Harry sat down holding 'Hogwarts, A History' open in front of him. "There's a lot of famous wizards listed from that house, but with the exception of Dumbledore, most of these wizards didn't fight in the war at all and half of them work for the Ministry of Magic _._

 _Then,_ here it has a record of house cups and house points for the different houses throughout the years. Gryffindor had a  _twenty_ year winning streak until seven years ago  _and_ Gryffindor consistently has either the highest or second-highest number of points going back like thirty years, even in years that they've lost the Quidditch Cup which is worth," Harry flipped a page, "an extra fifty House points with the exception of a perfect season which is awarded one hundred and fifty. It just doesn't seem plausible especially if Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff represent the studious and hardworking students. These points and wins should be spread around, not just all slanted to one house."

"You think that there's a bias?" 

"Isn't there, though? You saw Diagon Alley. They may say the war is over, but they don't like muggleborns or half-bloods and they don't change much. The shopkeeper told me that the same edition of Bathilda Bagshot's 'History of Magic' is the assigned book for all seven years at Hogwarts and has been for at least twenty years. I'm supposedly as famous as Dumbledore, but my father was a dark wizard so of course there is a fictional series which may or may not have been written by Bagshot under a psuedonym and half the damn, er, stupid books speculate on whether I'm an honest hero or just trying to look good on my way to becoming a Dark Lord-"

" _WHAT_?" 

Harry sighed. "Wizards might be stupid."

"Someone wrote a fictional series about you, even using your real name?" Christine demanded furiously.

"Yeah. My name and the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing."

"Where is that d- darn cat?," Christine half-shouted. Visibly calming down she continued quietly but still furious,  "Write to Miss Figg and ask if we can do something about this."

"You mean like sue?"

"Sure."

"I don't know if it bothers me that much," Harry glanced up and caught Missus Christine's expression, "I mean, okay. I"ll write to Miss Figg right now. Thank you for taking me to Diagon Alley today, Missus Christine," he said sincerely as left the office at a brisk pace.

"You're welcome, Harry."


End file.
